The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the legal guidelines made by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra to permit animal sports activities Jallikattu, Kambala and bull-cart racing, reported Live Law.

Jallikattu or Eruthazhuvuthal, is a bull-taming sport widespread in Tamil Nadu, performed as a part of celebration of the Pongal harvest competition. Kambala is an annual buffalo race held in Karnataka.

In 2017, the Tamil Nadu authorities of Tamil Nadu had legalised Jallikattu by passing the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules of 2017. The legal guidelines have been made to revoke a 2014 order of the Supreme Court banning the bull-taming sport.

On Thursday, a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice KM Joseph was listening to a batch of petitions looking for compliance of the 2014 order. The Animal Welfare Board of India and a number of animal rights teams, together with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, have been among the many petitioners.

The Supreme Court held that the amendments to Jallikattu guidelines, launched by Tamil Nadu in 2017, left “little room for cruelty to the animals”, reported The Hindu.

“It remedies the mischiefs which were in vogue before the legislation came into existence,” the judges mentioned. “…The state law does not violate Articles 14 [equality of rights] and 21 [protection of life and personal liberty] of the Constitution.”

The petitioners had argued that animals too had the proper to dwell with dignity.

The Supreme Court additionally noticed that beneath Entry 17 to List II of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, state governments have the legislative energy to make amendments as these made to the Jallikattu guidelines. The Seventh Schedule of the Constitution offers with the division of energy between the Centre and states.

The court docket added that its verdict might be relevant to legal guidelines on Kambala in Karnataka and bull-cart racing in Maharashtra as properly.